Waiting for the Wave (2 Kings 13-15)

Have you ever noticed that there is a rhythm to life? That life comes in waves? Even in one human life there is a time of weakness as an infant and child, then growing to a peak of strength, and a gradual decline again into weakness before death.

History comes in waves, too. You can see nations and kingdoms start out weakly, then grow into empire, then fade back down into obscurity, though it may take hindsight over hundreds or even thousands of human years or even lifetimes to see it.

We see this wave rhythm in today’s Scripture in wave after wave of kings for Israel and Judah. One evil, then another more or less evil, then a sudden peak of a righteous king, and receding back into evil again. Being righteous and living in the time of an evil reign you might give up hope, not recognizing it is only temporary. And living in a time of righteous reign you might forget that evil could be just ahead.

We see this especially clearly in a few short statements in 2 Kings 13. Here we read that Elisha is dead and buried. His days of being a prophet for Israel are over, so it seems. But when marauding armies are rushing through the land and toss a dead man’s body into the grave of Elisha, when their dead bodies touch the second man revives. And Elisha’s ministry continues as JESUS Himself uses him as an example in Luke 4:27 generations later and we still read of him today.

We see an echo of God using this as a sign as only a few lines later we read that Israel is captured, then freed, then captured again then freed again three times in these waves of history and we read that the sins from years ago are still affecting people as they continue to worship idols on the high places but GOD always keeps them from being totally destroyed because of His loving promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob generations before in our concept of time though still living in the Presence of GOD.

Even as a Christian, you might find yourself in a slump today. It may not seem as if you have a place in ministry or that your ministry makes a difference. But remember this ebb and flow effect. Your ministry may not have results until after you’re gone. But GOD will see it through to good effect you may not realize until eternity. Be faithful. And be ready to catch the wave when it comes.

GOD may be hiding us for a time when our ministry can have most effect as a wave in the ebb & flow of history to make a difference in the future. 2 Kings 13-15